| The aerospace industry is concerned that as semiconductor feature sizes are reduced future technology generations, device lifetime will decrease as well. Inherent device failure mechanisms, such as electromigration, hot carrier effects and time dependent dielectric (oxide) breakdown, may lead to shorter lifetimes at these smaller feature sizes. Many longlife aerospace applications must use commercially available off-the-shelf devices. The reliability margins in future devices may be decreased as semiconductor suppliers trade performance for reliability to meet the requirements of their core markets. If the lifetime of future devices proves to be inadequate for longlife aerospace applications, operating them at a derated stress condition can extend their lifetime. This is accomplished by reducing the operating voltage of the devices. |
